Chris Harrison Blogs ‘The Bachelorette’ Episode 9

Welcome back, Bachelor Nation! It’s been a crazy few months, but now the romantic Fantasy Suites are finally here. But first, we do something we have never done before in Bachelorette history. Most seasons, we tend to do things in more or less the same order, but every once in a while there are reasons why we have to change how things happen.

In this case, Rachel’s family, as a result of her sister Constance’s pregnancy, was not going to be able to travel to Spain to meet the final two men. Rachel was more than happy to have her three top men meet her family in Dallas, as she felt that maybe they could help give her constructive feedback and help her make good decisions. After all, Rachel is really close to her family, and like her, they are reasonably skeptical. Rachel has been great at being down-to-earth this whole time, but she knew that her family would be there to give her a reality check. And they sure did.

The family had an easy time talking to all three men, but for some reason they really put the screws to Bryan the most. I would have to guess it was because he seemed very likely to propose to Rachel, while Peter and Eric both made it very clear that they were falling for Rachel but didn’t give the impression that they were ready to make that leap. I don’t think Rachel’s family was convinced that a real and lasting engagement could come out of this, and I think that’s ok. Skepticism is important, and it’s always good to check your feelings and make sure they’re true before proceeding. But I still think Rachel wants an engagement at the end of this, and I feel like if she’s willing to make that leap, she’s ready to make it last forever.

It’s worth noting that all three men did get an opportunity to talk to Rachel’s father off-camera, just as Nick did. We’ll never quite know what they talked about, but I can tell you that personally I am very curious.

Rachel took in her family’s feedback, but then she was ready to get back to making decisions for herself. It was a couple of long flights from Dallas, Texas to the Rioja region of Spain, but man, was it worth it. The wine, the views, and the culture really made for an unbelievably beautiful final few weeks of the season. You saw Eric’s tremendously romantic date, and most of Peter’s. Once again, we left you hanging — but I promise, in just two short weeks, all of your questions will be answered! Who will propose to Rachel, and who will she say yes to?

But before that, don’t miss next week when you’ll get to see all the behind the-scenes drama at the most dramatic, tearful Men Tell All I’ve seen in a long time.